Chapter One – Nightmares

It had been a month since the virus attack upon Litwak's and while the owner of the little arcade and the players were in the dark about what had happened, the people within the games were still feeling the effects, their bodies and minds still showing marks and scars.

The arcade felt hollow, it felt rocked and no one seemed to be able to return to their usual cheerful selves but who could blame them. For all they knew Mal and Tor could be waiting for them, disguised as any other and timing it, timing it to leap upon the arcade again, taking it out for good. Calhoun had assured everyone that the anti-virus upgrades would work, that the locks on the code rooms could not be broken this time but the promises were meet by weak hearts. She was one of the most trusted heroes in the place but now people were starting to have their doubts, to allow their fears to slowly creep over them.

The viruses might have gotten away, but Litwak's would never be the same.

Night after night, Vanellope tossed and turned in her bed, the hollow halls of the candy castle echoing and moaning around her. She just could not sleep, she could not grasp upon the comfort she wanted to fall into sweet dreams as every night was another new nightmare. She could see them before her, Mal and Tor, leading hoards upon hoards of viruses throughout the game. She could hear them cackle, she could hear them laugh but she could do nothing.

Her glitch could not save her.

Her glitch could not save ANYONE.

No matter where Vanellope would run, no matter where she would turn they were there, going through game after game, cooking them from the inside out. She would scream so loud, she could feel her throat straining but nothing came out.

She could see the figures of the arcade, all her friends, everyone, frozen in place around her. Turned into pillars of stone as one by one a virus took them, enveloping them in a thick black goo as they slowly dissolved into nothing. Vanellope ran as fast as she could, as fast as her legs could carry her but it was no use; she could not escape.

You cannot escape!

"Stop it! STOP IT!"

Y-Y-You c-c-c-can't do anything so d-d-don't even try it!

"No, NO!" Vanellope screamed, falling on her side "Ya can't get me! I-!"

HAHAHAHAHAH!

That familiar laugh, that familiar cackle.

It did not belong to the viruses but to-

"No…." Vanellope choked, falling done on her rump, looking up at the massive apparition before her "NO! NOT YOU!"

A grey figure in a white jumpsuit stomped towards the girl, reaching his long, boney fingers towards her.

"Where do ya think YOU'RE goin' GLITCH?!" the giant laughed, his glowing yellow eyes cutting through the darkness of the broken arcade "I was savin' YA for last!"

"Let me GO, Turbo!" Vanellope fought but once more her glitch proved no means of escape, Turbo laughing harder and harder the more she struggled the more she kicked.

"That is what I like ta see! All that energy, all that spice! Reminds me WHY I picked ya outta tha lotta ya sugar-fied babies!" the maniacal racer laughed "Just wish I cudda done more! MORE ta sink this pit of an arcade ta tha ground!"

The halls howled with a low drone as the floor started to crack and break. Vanellope could see the code void forming beneath her but by some chance Turbo was able to stay afloat, standing just above the burning vortex of code, the petrified figures of the other citizens falling with in, their bodies breaking and shattering as they hit the rocks.

"Look at dat, kiddo! Look at all dat code BAKIN'! Mmm, doesn't it smell WONDERFUL!?"

"Urgh, let me go Turbo!" the girl cried out, kicking her feet in the air as she fought all she could against the former racer "I-I'm not scared of you! I'm not scared of those viruses either!"

"Oh, but ya ARE scared!" cackled the grey man "I can sense it EVERYWHERE, kid. Every inch of your code is caked with it, tha fear that I could come in again at any time an' wipe it all away! That I could take over once again an' this time? THIS TIME I WON'T MAKE ANY MISTAKES! I'll bring this place back to what it once was! MY arcade!"

"L-Litwak's was NEVER yours!"

"I RULE THIS PLACE!"

"W-We-! THERE IS NO ONE RULER OF THIS PLACE!" Vanellope fought back "No one rules over tha arcade, no-!"

"Then why does everyone treat you like they do?"

The girl opened her eyes, looking right into the emptiness of Turbo's code.

"W-What?"

So many flashbacks began to warp around the child; of the incident with the Nicelanders, of Beta, of the virus attack.

"You ARE followin' in my footsteps."

"I would NEVER become a tyrant like you, Turbo!"

"They showered me with praise, told me I was tha most powerful person ta ever be programed, that I was tha only one that mattered…."

"No, no! It's different! IT'S DIFFERENT!"

"Ya are gonna rise Vanellope…." The grey racer said, his voice lowering as he prepared to drop the girl into the fire depths of the voice "You are gonna rise…"

"Don't let go!" the vanilla racer begged "DON'T LET-!"

AND THEN YOU ARE GOING TO FALL!

And with that Turbo released his hold upon the girl, her body dropping like a stone into the fiery depths of the code voice. She screamed, louder and louder, but there was no saving her. She tried to glitch but it wouldn't carry her up. She could see hands reaching for her, hands clawing for her and as she felt the heat prickle against her skin-

VANELLOPE!

The girl screamed once more but she felt as if she were flung towards the light, her arms feeling warm. Her legs tangled in a mass of-

"AAAAAH!"

Blankets.

"Vanellope."

The girl tumbled out of her bed with a whomp, looking over to see Sour Bill standing by her.

"B-Bill?"

The little sour man gave a nod, looking as glum as ever "I'm sorry Miss President to wake you like this."

The little racer wrestled on the ground, trying to free herself from the blankets "Urgh, w-what is it?"

"There is, um, some TROUBLE near the front of the track."

"Trouble?" the girl said, a brow arching "What kinda trouble?"

The details that Bill gave were scant but from what Vanellope could understand, it seemed that more people were coming in with issues on Turbo.

Or better yet, they were TRYING to bring issues about Turbo back into the game.

"Oh, no…." Vanellope moaned, feeling so exhausted and mentally drained to deal with such drama again "Didn't we already go through this with tha whole Beta thing?!"

True, after the incident with Beta it seemed that things had begun to die down, that people were slowly starting to respect the other racers again but with Turbo's reappearance it seemed the old skeletons that the children wanted to leave buried were dug back up and for ONE racer in particular…

"I told you, I am NOT happy he is back!"

It was going to hurt worse than ever.

Taffyta Muttonfudge was surrounded by people, people from out of game, who relentlessly hounded the pink racer with questions but over time the questions stopped revolving around simple comments on what she thought about Turbo's incarceration and instead moved uncomfortably close to thoughts best left PRIVATE, thoughts that had nothing to deal with the issue at hand but rather her 'connections' with the former 'KING'.

Suddenly, all those weeks of hunting for her story didn't seem as important anymore.

"I bet your happy about this." Someone said, making certain their voice was clear enough for the girl to hear "After all, Turbo was your role-model wasn't he?"

"He was NOT!" the strawberry racer spat back, feeling the ends of her hair curl as people continued to fool her, continued to press her "You guys already know the story of what happened here! Why can't you leave it at that?!"

"That can't be it, ya know it can't be."

"Look, what do you guys WANT from me?! What do you want from us?!" Taffyta said, slamming her foot on the ground.

"We just wanna know. Are ya happy he's back?"

"NO, NO, NO!" Taffyta cried out in clear frustration "What part of NO don't you understand?! Turbo tricked me, he tricked all of us so stop acting as if we're going to go back and-!"

"Whoa, simmer down Taff."

The group looked over, Vanellope standing near and trying her best to give a grin to the audience. For once the crowds went silent as she approached them but even with the smile on her face it was plain to see that Vanellope wasn't too keen on what she had overheard.

"What's this about Turbo?" the vanilla racer asked "Didn't ya know? His ugly butt is in tha Hero's Duty jail. Don't know why you'd be lookin' for him here."

"This was the game he busted up though!" said someone in the crowd "Aren't you worried?"

Worried?

Inside, the girl was BEYOND worry.

But she knew she couldn't falter less any more rumors start flowing through the game. She smiled, putting an arm around Taffyta.

"C'mon guys, after tha way tha guys dissed Turbo when he came back? Do ya really think they're longin' for him that much?"

Taffyta's eyes narrowed as she knew Vanellope was trying to use humor as a means of making the situation brighter but she knew it was never going to work. Like Turbo, she KNEW how people in the arcade could turn upon someone once they were able to grasp upon any juicy news and considering how badly many folks had treated her and the others AFTER Vanellope had gotten reinstated?

If the arcade did not trust Taffyta, she surly did not trust them either.

She sighed, moving out from under Vanellope's arm "Heh, thanks for the…SWEET words Nelly but I think maybe it would be better if you focused on other things."

Vanellope looked a bit hurt, sensing that Taffyta didn't want to be her or was at least refusing her help "But Taff-!"

"No, no…..just go….just go and do whatever you have to do to make sure the arcade is PERFECT." The pink racer said, forcing an incredible creepy grin as she gave the girl a thumbs up "We can deal. We can deal with EVERYONE here."

LIES.

Taffyta marched angrily away, the group of outsiders thankfully staying with Vanellope instead of following her. Ouch, the resentment stung a little for the vanilla racer but she knew it wasn't something she could dwell upon and at the very least….

"If you're not here ta watch us race…."

She could at least get people to LEAVE.

"Don't go startin' trouble, okay?"

"But what about-?"

"Butt butt butt, big ol' butts." The girl said, shaking her head "Tur-BUTT is in jail, that's tha END of it, okay?"

She wanted it to end but it was never going to.

With little fanfare or fuss the crowd began to disperse, the other racers walking up to the President.

"Taff's takin' it hard?"

"Harder than a jaw-breaker." Sniffed Minty, rolling her eyes "She's not tha only one but she's gotten it tha worst."

"Man, if DOES feel like tha Beta thing all over again." Vanellope moaned "Why won't people listen? I mean, I told 'em before that ya guys didn't do anythin'. Why won't-?"

"Vanellope."

Everyone looked to the side, Crumbelina standing before them.

"We may have had a victory of our own here but just because we can celebrate does not mean that the entire arcade is going to change their minds about us. With…with the exception of YOU of course."

"What do ya mean, Crumbs?" Vanellope blinked, feeling as if she knew the reason why but against hope she was praying within that the caramel racer was cluing into something else.

"What I mean, you have made your mark on this arcade in a positive way. You have saved people."

"But what about what your-?!"

"WE…." Crumbelina continued "We may have had a victory but our ties with Turbo will always be there and from what the arcade has shown, that is more important than anything we shall do in the future it appears. It is something that we must get used to and face. With his return….I don't know if anyone will ever forgive us."

"But that's no fair!" Vanellope protested "I mean-! All that work ya guys did for me, for tha whole GAME! Does that count for ANYTHIN'!?"

Crumbelina turned, her hands folded neatly together "Turbo's shadow still drapes it and from it, it seems that we may never be able to escape. But at least we have SOME who believe us, that is something that I am indeed thankful for."

"Ya say that…." Huffed Gloyd "But you're not gettin' tha cut as bad as TAFF. Ever think'a that, Crumbz?"

Taffyta was of course Turbo's 'number one racer' so she was DUE to get the most of the backlash, a fact that Vanellope was already well akin to.

"Sweet Monkey Milk….." the girl sighed "When he came back, he brought EVERY bit of trouble with him. It's like we can't EVER win against him!"

Maybe that was it though; maybe that was the thing that made Turbo so happy, the fact that while his face could be hidden, even if his pixels were erased, there were still so many INFLUENCE left by the man that didn't seem to want to die with him. Anyone and EVERYONE who had interacted with them, anyone who was pulled into his fold, even if their lives had changed, even if their attitudes were now different it seemed that there were many heads that refused to let them escape from their past, defeating so much of what the four beloved heroes in the arcade had tried to do when they believed they had conquered Turbo the first time.

The man may have been in jail but if he could see how people were acting?

He would laugh, just laugh at what he had done.

Suddenly, Vanellope remembered a little beat from the battle between the viruses, a little comment that the former racer had made; something to do with Ralph, something to do with how he was part of the gang? What did it mean?

Curiosity was stirring within the girl and it was something she just could not quell. She rushed off to the Rainbow Bridge, leaving the others behind.

"Vanellope?" Rancis asked "Where are you going? You're going to miss the roster race."

"There are other days, other races, just have fun!" the girl called back "I need ta talk ta someone NOW!"

Vanellope was turning away from a race?

Whatever was going on, it MUST have been important.

Vanellope ran through the busy station, feeling the full force of the new attitude hitting her the moment she stepped out. The place looked so grey, so lonely and the scariest part of all….

The empty, burnt plugs.

Vanellope shut her eyes as she went past them, feeling a sense of fear bubbled within her as she passed them. The darkness of the holes, the smudges of burnt plastic around them. She couldn't force it from her mind, what had happened to the people in the game, but she had to keep going. She had to prove that the viruses nor Turbo could get her down.

She approached Fix-it-Felix Jr, rushing in and hoping to see the little people about but like so many others they too were hit by the glum of the arcade. The building had only closed an hour but the little Nicelanders were still cleaning up, moving much slower than usual. The racer noticed that some of the usual things that greeted her when she came in, the lawn ornaments, the bird baths, all the little trinkets that made the land so cute were gone.

"What happened here?"

She looked over to the side, a familiar pink and blue figure hitting her eyes.

Mary and Gene?

It may have looked like them but they didn't ACT like the Nicelanders she knew.

She quickly glitched behind a bush, unable to hear the conversation but by the body movement the two were making the exchange was not good. Gene was so still but he slumped a bit, his head down slightly and when he turned his head away.

The bitterness in his eyes.

For a moment, Vanellope feared that she had been spotted but to her luck Gene's attention was focused upon something else, something near the other apartments. Mary was less than pleased, looking as if she were TRYING to get Gene's attention but he ignored her, shutting his eyes tight with an expression of someone who was near his end, of someone who just wanted to disappear.

This could not have been happening. The two were usually so loving towards each other.

Vanellope could see Mary's mouth movements, the woman calling his name but still he did not reply. After so many seconds she stopped, the sadness clear on her face. She seemed to deflate, clutching her purse as she walked off in the other direction, Gene returning to the apartments a moment later.

What had happened?

Why were they so upset?

"Careful, brother." Felix said, helping Ralph replace a bench "Right there, right there. Perfect."

Vanellope jumped from her hiding spot, seeing Felix and Ralph nearby. They were a welcomed sight but that didn't mean she was any less worried as for all she knew, their moods could have been as dank as the others.

"Hey, Ralph!"

The big man turned, smiling once Vanellope came into view, a welcomed sight indeed.

"Hey kid, what's up?"

The racer did not greet the man with her usual hug and joke, instead approaching him slowly with a look of wonder and shock upon her face.

"Ralph?"

"Um….yeah?"

The girl looked around, seeing the other characters milling about. She twiddled her thumbs together before reaching up and pulling Ralph near his home.

"Um, I need….I need ta ask ya somethin'."

The Wrecker looked back towards Felix, giving him a shrug; he had not a clue to what was going on but given how upset Vanellope looked he was determined to find the answer. He entered his home first but Vanellope glitched behind him, slamming the door and checking every window as if she were worried that someone could be watching.

"Whoa, what's tha matter kiddo? From tha way you're goin' about you're actin' as if someone is after ya or som-!"

"Ralph."

"Yes?"

"….Remember last year?"

"Remember WHAT from last year?"

"When I got angry at tha Nicelanders? When I blamed them for somethin' that wasn't true? Remember when we found out what Turbo had done ta 'em?"

The Wrecker felt his skin starting to prickle over, the girl's words bringing back so many memories of things he wanted to leave buried, that he never wanted to talk about but as she turned towards him again she figured it out; he knew what she was going to ask.

"Vanellope, no."

"Turbo said somethin', that ya used ta be part of his GANG?"

"Vanellope, I don't wanna talk about it…."

"They're startin' up again, Ralph! They're startin' ta blame people for stuff Turbo did but I wanna know!"

"Kid, it's not any of your business!"

"THEY'RE MAKIN' IT MY BUSINESS BY DRAGGIN' IT THROUGH MY GAME!" the girl shouted much to Ralph's surprise "I woke up today an' everyone was BOMBARD by a buncha junk 'bout Turbo! Turbo this, Turbo that! We can't catch a break but-!"

Vanellope was panting, feeling out of breath as she looked up upon her friend.

"He did so much ta so many people here Ralph….but even with that, HE isn't tha one that's gotten in trouble. EVERYONE ELSE has. WHY?!"

WHY?

Why was everyone still being dragged under the name of Turbo?

"Everyone….everyone except US that is…." Vanellope said "I…I mean….of all tha rumors that have been goin' on around here, it seems like everyone else around us is bein' slammed but if ya had a connection with Turbo then…then why-?"

Ralph felt his stomach starting to hurt as so many memories were starting to be rekindled by Vanellope's many questions.

"Ralph….please. Please tell me. I wanna know where this all started. I wanna know where it started so I can figure out how ta STOP IT."

"You're puttin' a lot more on your plate than ya can handle, kid. I'm just tellin' ya….."

"I'm PRESIDENT, Ralph. I HAFTA do somethin' other than flash about my powers an' win races. I gotta game I hafta taka care of. Ya…ya know tha feelin' right?"

Ralph gulped, fearing the day the girl would ask him these questions. It was something that he, that Felix, that ALL the Nicelanders had all agreed upon never to speak about due to how it had nearly DESTROYED everyone within the game and how it had paved the way for the thirty years of misery Ralph had gone through.

But the way she was looking at him, the way her eyes focused on him. She wanted to know. She HAD to now because she wanted to know HOW Turbo had gained such power, how he had gained such freedom despite the way he treated people, despite the things he had done.

How had he done it?

Ralph went to his couch and sat down. He patted a cushion as he signaled Vanellope to come near him.

"Kid."

"Y-Yes?"

"C'mere…."

Vanellope glitched over to Ralph, the man holding her close.

"It can be amazin' how much people can pay for tha actions of one person so if there is one thing I wanna make clear it's this."

"Yeah?"

"Turbo had no boundaries ta who he went after. Even if ya were a GOOD GUY he would make ya miserable. If you were BAD he would make ya miserable. NPC, vocalist, someone who handed out power-ups…..tha only way ya could guarantee complete peace from tha man was if ya joined him…."

"Joined him?" Vanellope blinked, Ralph nodding.

"Yes….an' I am ashamed ta say that thirty years ago…..he brought me in."